Due to the increasing number of youth victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation, Indiana Youth Services Association announced the creation of the Indiana Trafficking Victim Assistance Program in a press release Wednesday.
IYSA is a statewide organization dedicated to supporting the 32 youth service bureaus in Indiana by facilitating funding for juvenile delinquency programs and other youth services.
The new program, ITVAP, is Indiana’s first program specifically for youth victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation. It will provide services to an additional 150 youth victims in Indiana by setting up five new regional coalitions across the state.
These coalitions will engage with community partners and establish victim services networks in order to quickly and appropriately respond to trafficked victims.
“Human trafficking victims require specialized interventions and a variety of support and rehabilitation services that are virtually non-existent currently within the state,” the press release reads.
Reports of trafficked youth have risen in Indiana in recent years, according to the release. In 2014, there were 30 confirmed cases of youth trafficking out of 100 reported trafficking tips. In 2015, there have already been 50 identified cases.
The goals of ITVAP are to establish a statewide network providing specialized support services for trafficked youth and sexual exploitation victims, increase public awareness about the issue and increase awareness about the identification and warning signs of victims or potential victims.
The program will be established with $750,000 worth of funding. This money was acquired through an IYSA investment and a grant from the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute. The program was created in partnership with the Indiana State Police, the currently established Safe Place programs, as well as Restored, Inc., Purchased, Inc. and the IU School of Public Health.
There are currently 14 established Safe Place programs in Indiana, one of which is located in Bloomington in the Youth Service Bureau of Monroe County. These programs are designed so that youth at risk of abuse or neglect have immediate access to help.
With ITVAP, these Safe Place services will be extended to 10 additional counties.
“We will work to change the lens through which the public views human trafficking,” said David Westenberger, the executive director and CEO of IYSA, in the release. “The trafficking and sexual exploitation of youth victims is so much larger than most people realize.”
Annie Garau
